A Century of Chicago's Best Sportswriting from the "Tribune," "Sun-Times," and Other Newspapers

Bears, Bulls, Cubs, Sox, Blackhawks—there’s no city like Chicago when it comes to sports. Generation after generation, Chicagoans pass down their almost religious allegiances to teams, stadiums, and players and their never-say-die attitude, along with the stories of the city’s best (and worst) sports moments. And every one of those moments—every come-from-behind victory or crushing defeat—has been chronicled by Chicago’s unparalleled sportswriters.

In From Black Sox to Three-Peats, veteran Chicago sports columnist Ron Rapoportassembles one hundred of the best columns and articles from the Tribune, Sun-Times, Daily News, Defender, and other papers to tell the unforgettable story of a century of Chicago sports. From Ring Lardner to Rick Telander, Westbrook Pegler to Bob Verdi, Mike Royko to Hugh Fullerton , Melissa Isaacson to Brent Musburger, and on and on, this collection reminds us that Chicago sports fans have enjoyed a wealth of talent not just on the field, but in the press box as well. Through their stories we relive the betrayal of the Black Sox, the cocksure power of the ’85 Bears, the assassin’s efficiency of Jordan’s Bulls, the Blackhawks’ stunning reclamation of the Stanley Cup, the Cubs’ century of futility—all as seen in the moment, described and interpreted on the spot by some of the most talented columnists ever to grace a sports page.

Sports are the most ephemeral of news events: once you know the outcome, the drama is gone. But every once in a while, there are those games, those teams, those players that make it into something more—and great writers can transform those fleeting moments into lasting stories that become part of the very identity of a city. From Black Sox to Three-Peats is Chicago history at its most exciting and celebratory. No sports fan should be without it.

Tan Tornado Tears Loose with a Right: Joe Louis Writes His Name in Book of Champions at Sox Park

By Dan Burley

The Homer in the Gloamin’: “Lord God Almighty”

By John P. Carmichael

Bears Shock Redskins, and Everybody Else, 73–0

By Warren Brown

A Tale of Three Bears—and the NFL Title

By John P. Carmichael

No Contest: Bears the Best, Win Super Bowl XX

By Don Pierson

White Sox Seize the Day, Own the City

By Jay Mariotti

From Glad to Verse: for Sox Fans, There’s No Rhyme or Reason behind 2005 Season

By Mike Downey

Wildcats Pinch Themselves—All the Way to Pasadena

By Gene Wojciechowski

Say Cheesesteak: Blackhawks Win Stanley Cup

By David Haugh

Any Team Can have a Bad Century

1918: The Curse of the Bambino, Chicago Style—Ruth Triumphs over Vaughn, 1–0, in First Game of World Series

By Charles Dryden

1945: The Great, the Good, and the Awful

By Warren Brown

Brock for Broglio: Joined at the Hip

By Jerome Holtzman

Madness in Wrigley Field; Enjoy It While It Lasts

By Brent Musburger

1969: Trial by Torture, One Day at a Time

By Rick Talley

45 Runs Later, Cubs Come Up One Short

By Dave Nightingale

1984: “This One Will Hurt for a Long, Long Time”

By Bob Verdi

A Very Solid Book

By Mike Royko

1989: The Boys of Zimmer Leave Their Hearts in San Francisco

By Philip Hersh

2003: One More Desolate Night at Wrigley Field

By Rick Morrissey

Michael

“The Shot” Is Too Good Not to Be True

By Terry Boers

When Jordan Cried behind Closed Doors

By Bob Greene

Champions: Bulls Stampede to First Title

By Sam Smith

Baseball, Birmingham, and Dreams of His Father

By Melissa Isaacson

Jordan Applies a Perfect Touch to One Last Masterpiece

By Jay Mariotti

So Long, Michael: It’s Been Great

By Bernie Lincicome

Neighborhoods

K Town

By John Schulian

Roof Bums

By Ron Rapoport

The Sun Sets on Cubs’ Illusions

By Bernie Lincicome

North versus South—the Twain Shall Finally Meet

By Dave Hoekstra

A Space Invasion in Wrigleyville

By Carol Slezak

Sox Fan Enters Lineup at Comiskey Park

By Mark Brown

“If They Don’t Have a Truce by Tuesday, Derrick Rose Day Will Never Happen”

By Rick Telander

Sidekicks and Amateurs, Forgotten Men and Lost Teams, Hustlers and Clowns

Scottie Pippen Thrived in Jordan’s Shadow

By Sam Smith

Eric Nesterenko and the Examined Life

By Bob Greene

Lou Novikoff: “I Am Dead and Only Waiting to Be Buried”

By Tom Fitzpatrick

Doug Plank Leaves a Lasting Impression

By David Israel

Blood, Sweat, Tears, and Worse at the Finish Line

By Carol Slezak

Darren Pang Measures Up as a Goalie

By Terry Boers

Doug Atkins: A Study in Pride and Pain

By Rick Telander

The Chicago Football Cardinals: Fabric of a Champion

By Bill Gleason

The Wimp at Work

By Bob Greene

There Were Lots of Clowns, but Only One Andy

By Richard Roeper

the real world

Slaying of Israelis Recalls Nightmare at Dachau

By Robert Markus

For Troops, Sports Provide a Strong Link to Home

By Mike Imrem

They Teach You a Special Lesson

By Bob Verdi

An Earthquake That Brings Out the Best in So Many

By Ray Sons

Remembering Sarajevo

By Philip Hersh

Oklahoma City: “Part of My Hometown Died”

By Skip Bayless

Remembering Ben Wilson: “We Must Rise Up and Seize Control”

By Taylor Bell

From the Depths of Darkness, Theo Fleury and Sheldon Kennedy Find Light

By Barry Rozner

When Silence Is the Only Answer

By Rick Morrissey

Battles Won and Lost

Look Who’s Beating the Cubs Now

By Al Monroe

“We Are Tired of Staying in Flop Houses”

By Wendell Smith

Taking a Stand and Paying the Price

By Wendell Smith

When Jackie Robinson Came to Wrigley Field

By Mike Royko

High Time for Bud Selig to Pardon Buck Weaver

By Mike Downey

Crystals on Top of an Iceberg

By Jeannie Morris

From Too Tall to Scaling the Heights

By Melissa Isaacson

From the Heart

“God Is My Primary-Care Physician”

By Lacy J. Banks

I Cannot Escape the Compulsion to Be Thin—Even though I Know It Could Kill Me

By Diane Simpson

Fishing with Mother: Strangled Chicken for Dinner

By Jack Griffin

I Was a Bears Baby, Too

By Greg Couch

Remembering the Land of Enchantment

By John Kuenster

Wishing for Dreams That Can’t Come True

By Skip Bayless

That Stinging Sensation: This One’s for You, Dad

By Phil Arvia

A Short Walk Down a Long Corridor

By Carol Slezak

Summer’s End Recalls Memory of a Faded Dream

By John Schulian

Contributors

Acknowledgments

About the Editor

Review Quotes

Mayor Rahm Emanuel

“This is a great book for a great sports town.”

Ira Berkow, former New York Times sports columnist

“Growing up in Chicago, I was privileged to read some of the sports columnists that Ron Rapoport includes in this marvelous collection. Though I moved to New York to write my own sports column, I continued to enjoy the contemporary Chicago sportswriters. Now, we can re-read all of them, plus greats from past years. From Black Sox to Three-Peats is pure pleasure from beginning to end.”

Alan Barra | Chicago Tribune

"Some cities can boast of more winners, but no town ever had more good people to write about than Chicago. What writers, what characters, what moments!"

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